20MARAUDER - Antelope Valley College

13 Conference Championships •
2006 Head Third in Coach State • 2007
Fifth in State • Gracie Perez:
Seventh
2006 State Pitcher of the Year •
Cindy Vargas: Season 2006 State Coach
of the Year • Four Straight Undefeated
Foothill Conference
206-98-2
Championships
2010
Marauder Fastpitch
The Vargas Era
Year W L T Conf. Fin.
2003 16 28 0 Second (1st Rnd)
2004 11 18 0 Seventh
2005 27 11 1 Champs (1st Rnd)
2006 47 7 0 Champs (3rd in State)
2007 42 9 1 Champs (5th in State)
2008 40 10 0 Champs (2nd Rnd)
2009 23 15 1 Champs (1st Rnd)
Totals 206 98 3
Cindy Vargas (née Sims) took over as the Marauders’ Head Coach
in 2006 after spending three years as AVC’s co-head coach. She also
became a full-time physical education instructor at AVC.
In 2007, the Marauders returned to state, finishing fifth and boasted
Ashley Arnett, who set a state record for strikeouts with 438.
In her first year flying solo, Vargas coached her team to a school
record 47-7 season, including a perfect 21-0 Foothill Conference season
and a third place finish in state. The season included 28 records
or firsts, with eight team records being broken including wins, runs, hits,
singles, doubles, homers and RBI. AVC made a sweep of the Foothill
Conference Awards, and placed a record four players on the All-State
team. Those same four were named AVC’s first-ever All-Americans.
AVC earned a State Pitcher of the Year -- Gracie Perez, and Vargas
was named State Coach of the Year.
She is one of the extremely few -- if, indeed there are any others
-- to win back-to-back Conference Player of the Year and Coach of the
Year honors from the same conference, and then to be named State
Shortstop of the Year and then State Coach of the Year.
She returned to the Marauders in 2003 as a co-head Coach of
Fastpitch along with former Marauder pitching great Becky MacQuarrie.
Her third year was a charm, as she guided the Marauders to their ninth
Foothill Conference title, the fourth undefeated, and was named Foothill
Conference Coach of the Year.
She guided the Marauders in that first 2003 season to a second place
finish in conference as well as a playoff berth. For her 2003 team’s
achievements, she was named recipient of the PAGS Award by the
conference coaches. The award is in honor of former Marauder Head
Coach Gene Pagliaro, who was six times named Foothill Conference
Coach of the Year. The award is given to the Coach “Who did the most
with the least -- and did it the most creatively.”
Vargas may have been the best Marauder hitter ever. She batted
.450 in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. She also hit 29 doubles, 19 of
those in 1996, both Marauder records. Arguably the best defensive
shortstop in Marauder history, she ended her Marauder career with a
.938 fielding average. She was named Foothill Conference Player of
the Year both seasons, the only Marauder to be so named twice. She
was All-Southern California in 1995 and All-State in 1996.
She was inducted in the AVC Whit Carder Marauder Athletics Hall of
Fame as a player in 2009.
She was also named Antelope Valley College Scholar Athlete of the
Year for the 1995-96 season and was the recipient of the state-wide
Pepsi Scholar Athlete Award.
The valedictorian at Quartz Hill High School, Vargas was named All-
Golden League in softball all four years.
Since the Rebel teams she played on won all four Golden League
championships, and both AVC teams she played for won Foothill Conference
championships, Vargas played on six straight championship
teams. She was named All-CIF three of her seasons at QHHS.
After AVC, Vargas played a year for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,
helping the Mustangs to a top 10 ranking and a win over UCLA. Knee
injuries ended her career after that season.
She then transferred to Cal State Bakersfield where she received her
bachelor’s in liberal studies and a multiple subject teaching credential.
She received a master’s of education from Azusa Pacific in 2002.
Vargas and her husband Mike reside in Lancaster with their children
Tyler (10) and Cole (7).
2010 MARAUDER FASTPITCH 4